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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: board · stock · pitcher · dip · branch · bore · net · content

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. stock — shares
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bore — to drill
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a committee
  9. bore — to tire
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. net — after costs
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. content — happy
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. branch — a division
  17. stock — goods
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. content — the amount
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. dip — to sink
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com